Hot Stones and Lomi Lomi Massage

Hot Stones can be found on almost any spa menu, but what you may not know are the specific therapeutic uses of and benefits for them.

Today, I’m going to demonstrate this tool that’s natural, totally free, and is guaranteed to make your work as a massage therapist MUCH easier.

We call them Lomi ‘ili (pronounced LOW-mee EE-lee), smooth, round river stones that we use in our Lomi Lomi practice.

I love working with hot Lomi ‘ili on many different patient populations and you may be wondering, “what type of clients really need hot stones?

WHEN TO USE HOT STONES IN YOUR MASSAGE

Some of my favorite people to use it on are people who just can’t relax. Busy, type-A personalities may have a hard time even booking themselves a massage. Relaxing on the table for 60 to 80 minutes can seem impossible.

However, in my 20+ years of experience, using hot stones really just melts away that tension.

They allow you to get deeper into the layers, especially on those clients who feel bound and tense. You know the ones…they are holding so tight it almost feels like they are resisting you.

Using hot stones with these clients is a wonderful way to melt away the tension they are holding in their tissues.

Clients recovering from an injury can also benefit from this treatment. The muscles surrounding injured tissues tend to splint and create protection around the area. Also, there may be swelling that interferes with blood circulation.

People with chronic pain or sensitivity to touch, common in patients with fibromyalgia, can benefit from bodywork that incorporates heated stones, too.

This treatment creates an alternate sensation to the client’s pain cycle. When pain receptors are calmed down, you can begin to do the deeper, therapeutic massage work the body needs.

BENEFITS OF HOT STONES

Have you ever seen a picture of hot stones lying on the body? I think it gives people the idea that the stones are laying there and not actually working or doing anything.

In reality, Lomi ‘ili have tremendous therapeutic benefits for your clients, and for you.

The heat from the stones increases circulation. The improved blood supply moves inflammation out of the area and brings more healing nutrients in.

I can do any of my Lomi techniques, using the tools of the stones, because they relax all the tissues around the problem area. It increases the blood flow and heat, allowing me to get much deeper than I otherwise would.

Ultimately, Lomi ‘ili allow me to do less work. I use the stones to work smarter, not harder. These amazing tools from the earth will absolutely help you to get better results for your clients AND do it in a way that is much easier on your body.

Let’s do some Lomi Lomi with your stones.

In this video, I will show you:

• How to work the wing, scapula, and infraspinatus.

• How to incorporate the forearm strokes that we love in Lomi Lomi, into your hot stone therapy sessions

• The perfect time to lay the stones on the body

• When to incorporate hot stones with advanced Lomi Lomi work like ho’ohonoi’wi, bone setting.

• How to use Lomi ‘Ili on clients with neck pain, stiffness and decrease the prominence of a Dowager’s hump.

You’re going to need to put on a little bit more oil than usual because your stones will absorb it.

Be careful not to dunk the stones in cold water too often because you will lose some of the heat.

Start by painting the heat on the body. The goal is to wait until the stones are closer to the temperature of the skin before you leave them on the body for an extended time.

This process gives a nice warmth to the body. Don’t go too fast. You want to take it nice and slow. Allow the heat to penetrate into the tissues.

All of our stones are here to be working stones. Extensions of our hands. These are gifts from the earth that we can use to ultimately help our clients to release tension, to increase circulation, to break through that pain cycle.

And best of all, they help you to do less work because those stones do so much of the work for you, especially on your clients that hold a lot of bound tension in their bodies.

I’d like to hear from you…which of these massage techniques are you going to try with your clients and what part of the world are you reading from? Reading your comments is one of my favorite parts of the week!